


Little King or Vagabond

by Next-Time-On-The-Reverse (lucifersbff)



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF, X-Ray & Vav (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, FAHC, Mad King, Violence gets Violent, hopefully
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2020-08-20 21:21:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20234563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucifersbff/pseuds/Next-Time-On-The-Reverse
Summary: One Summer changed the world. It made the ordinary into something worse. Her friend isn't the boy she used to know. They should never gone there, he should never have gone back.





	1. Say the Words

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome. You clicked this. Whoa, I wish I'd prepared. This is a little Au styled thing. I was messing about with. I don't know what I'm doing. I just know I like where it's going. Just stick with it.

Heat. It was the most unbearable heat that summer; it was the type to blister bare skin and melt the walls of any home. Most of the thatched roofs had caught on fire the first week of summer, the bales of hay in the farmlands on the outskirt of the city had set a blaze to the crops. The roads…they’d become rivers of black during the day and ice plains at night.

He remembered the heat, even at that young age, it had wrapped its scolding fingers around his shoulders and steered him through the forest with his companion nagging him as they followed. His plastic shield and sword drooping as he climbed over branches and walked through dry leaves. Each crunch quickening his heartrate.

“Ryan, your mom said not too go far” Came the whine behind him. A growl escaped him, an uncharacteristic response from the ever so slightly older boy, but he refused to respond. Instead he continued forward; the burning feeling only intensifying as he pushed through the forest. “Ryan, I want to go home. I’m scared”

It was the way the final words left his accomplices mouth that made him stop. The vulnerability in the way they ran their dirt ridden arm over their sweat glistened face. She was seconds from collapsing from fatigue, given the way her body swayed. Ryan wondered how long it had been since she’d abandoned her own shield and sword. Or when they had wandered so far into the forest that he could barely make out the path they’d taken to get here.

“Nothings going to happen. Remember that. I won’t let anything scare you. I won’t let anything hurt you because that’s what friends do” He rattled on. His own tired feet falling against the ground as he closed in on her. “You remember why?”

She nodded, a smile flicking across the lower half of her face. For a second, the boy thought he could see a small river of crimson beneath her chin. He shook the image free from his mind as he waited for her response.

“You’re the king and I’m the va-vag. I’m the walker” She smiled. Her vocabulary hadn’t improved like Ryan’s had. Even though there was a few months between them. His best friend, one of his best friends, had never been a keen reader; she liked to be the brawn to his brains as his father had put it once.

“Vagabond” Ryan offered the word. His father had used that once to describe one of the men hitchhiking on the journey back from seeing his grandparents. Ryan had vowed to be one of those one day. A man with no home, but himself.

“What brings you children this far west?” A whisper shivered in the wind; it caught Ryan off-guard and yet the heat surrounding the question had been all too enticing. He felt the girl before him grab at his arm. The moisture that had collected on his skin had caused her hand to slip down his arm. He entwined his fingers with hers. Like he’d seen his parents do.

“Who are you?” He queried; the boy lifted his damaged sword – well more like a lump of plastic – his courage evident as he ran his eyes around his surroundings. The forest changed around them; the bright scenery had been devoured by shadows.

He was dehydrated. It was the logical response, the only one his ten-year-old brain could form.

“I’m scared. I want to go home” Her voice cried; he felt her forehead against his shoulder. He looked down at his friend. The girl’s eyes had closed, scrunched so tightly that he was certain the sockets of her eyes would collapse.

“I can make your dreams happen. Little King” The whisper danced around him. “Just say the words. If you want to walk the earth like a vagabond, I can make that. If you want rule over the weak and be the strong support. I’ll make you king. You need someone gone; I’ll make you into the machine that does it. I can make the best you. But you have to say the words Little King.”

“Ryan, I want to go home. Please, I want my mom” She cried; it was horrendous. The sound he was hearing, the fear in her voice and the tears that had begun to stream down her face. He hated it, it tore at his chest and constricted the air in his lungs.

“I don’t know who you are, but we’re leaving. We don’t want any trouble. We’re just kids” Ryan announced, his form already retreating. He pushed the girl in front of him; he guided her through the wooded area. Every so often he turn his head to see the place he’d been. Every time, out of the corner of his eye he would swear he saw someone.


	2. Memories always win

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An expected meeting with an old friend ends up bringing the past back to life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still not great at this. I'm hoping this keeps people curious, like I want to dangle a bit of string but not let the cats get it. (Not that I'm calling you all cats. My analogies suck)

Snow. The white substance had only just begun to litter the pavements and roads. The once busy streets had become barren wastelands occupied by a few stragglers returning home after a long working day.

The cold had been her favourite ever since she a teenager. She enjoyed the cool feeling as it hugged her tight and chilled her bones. She relaxed in her seat; the quiet coffee shop had been her friend’s choice. Her very late, and very aggravating friend’s choice.

Her tea had been abandoned almost the second it had been placed before her. Instead she had focused all her attention on the road outside. Her eyes roaming every shadow and her ears listening for any commotion – not that she would hear any behind the thick double-glazed windows.

“Hey” His voice rattled the air around her. Startled she turned in time to see him, a rather thick moustache adorning the space above his lip and below his nose. That was new. She smiled, her form lifting in her seat to hug the man.

“Geoff, what brings you to Chicago?” She questioned after he had seated opposite her. She could see the bags that had formed under his eyes. The man hadn’t slept for a while, nor had he – in the nicest way, showered for a couple days. This wasn’t the man she remembered. The wily stick thin video-gamer who would explore with herself and – she cut herself off. Memories had been the reason she stuck around Chicago, away from the past.

“You” He announced, “I don’t know the best way to put it, but since you left things back home just got worse. I want you to come back”

“I’m sorry what?” She remarked. “I have a life here Geoff. I have a job and I’m happy. Happier than I ever was at home. You remember those summers. Every summer in high school, and after it. You remember what happened right.”

“I know but- “Geoff began.

“No, Geoff. You’re asking me to give up everything and bring up the past. Screw you, don’t ever contact me again” She spat. To the customers and staff of the coffee shop it had be a spectacle. No-one but the two conversing knew what it had been about, the sudden outburst of anger from a woman so small, and the look of desperation from the sullen man.

“Michael’s in trouble. If I go back, I am too” Geoff commented; a defeated sigh exiting his lips. He’d given up, it was written all over his body. Geoff, the leader, the man who had kept them all sane through high school had given up.

“Then I suggest you run.” She responded. She wasn’t about to go back to that life. Not now she had everything she had ever wanted. A home that hadn’t been tainted, a job that kept her reasonably safe. Even in the dark alleys she canvased with her team.

She hoped it was the last time she would see Geoff. That the second she had left that shop and engulfed herself in the winter snow that he hopped into a taxi and taken the first flight somewhere remote.

Her thoughts hadn’t stopped spinning even after she returned home. Her shadowed house a dark beacon in the row of lights. She was yet to rummage into her attic for some old Christmas lights and half damaged decorations.

In a few days her neighbours would complain. She would find herself coming home after a long shift to a decorated house courtesy of her street. The one street desperate to be crowned the most festive street in Chicago.

The knock on the door had been a shock to her system. Her hands stopping mid forkful of microwavable pasta. She placed the cup on the side, her hand flying to her hip – her gun was rightfully in her locker at work, but her natural instincts had kicked in.

“Who is it?” She questioned through the wood.

“Mrs Morgan from across the road. A few of us are wondering if you needed help with the decorations,” She heard the frail voice through the door. Her mind picturing the eighty-year-old with a fake hip and a Zimmer-frame slipping around her icy porch.

“No Mrs Morgan, I got it. In fact, I have help already. An old friend popped over a few hours ago” She lied. By the muttered grumble she was certain the elderly woman was content with her answer. She listened for the feet of the frame on the steps outside.

Cursing herself she threw her body up the stairs. Her feet landing on each step with a hefty thud; for some reason the home she had always loved felt colder than usual. Like just the mere meeting with Geoff had begun to taint the walls. In her mind she pictured the dark cloud over her house, the mould that would situate itself beneath the wallpaper and the creaking wood that decayed with every passing second.

It didn’t take her long to climb the ladder to her attic, nor had it taken her long to spot the dusty old cardboard box spewing Christmas lights and vintage decorations. She clambered through the attic, every breath she inhaled more dust. She was cautious where her feet landed, most of the objects occupying the space had been old relics from her childhood.

“Got you” She announced to no-one. A shiver ran down her spine, her body tensing as she closed her eyes. When she opened them, she caught a glimpse of a framed photo. Her hands dropping the box in favour of lifting the frame.

‘_Ok, everyone big smiles. That means you too Ryan and Geoff. I don’t want any smirks I want big cheesy grins’_ She heard the ghosting words that had been spoken to them all before the photo had been taken. It had been years since she’d seen it. Her index ran down the crack in the glass, her eyes glossed over the fresh teen faces, their last summer before the incidents.

She laughed at Gavin’s grin; his arm casually slung around a slightly uncomfortable Michael’s shoulder. His mouth had been stained with ice-cream, that no-one had told him about. Jeremy stood beside Michael; he made a measly attempt to look intimidating even with the smile that illuminated his face.

‘_Ryan if you Jack, and [Name] stand in the back. I’ll stand on the other side of Jack.’ _Geoff’s voice had broken in his sentence and the gang had roared with laughter. She remembered how Ryan had hooked his arm around her waist before slinging his other arm behind Jack and Geoff. She remembered the heat he gave off, a soothing boiling heat. 

‘_This was a top Summer.’ _ Gavin’s voice laughed through the cold air around her attic.

‘_Yeah it was’ _Michael’s voice had chimed.

“Shit” She whispered to herself. She dropped the frame; her Christmas lights abandoned as she rushed from her attic. If she was quick enough, she could call Geoff before he boarded a flight. If she was quick enough.


	3. Home Sweet Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This isn't the home she left, these aren't the streets she remembered. Something isn't adding up

Home. It had changed dramatically, where the used to be kids sledging down the moderately sized blanketed hills there was now industrial buildings. Warehouses had lined the streets that once housed families, and skyscrapers stood looming over the inhabitants, in the centre.

The words had been clear, each building adorned with the same logo. ‘Monarch Laboratories’. She wondered how long ago her childhood hometown had been converted into a capitalist’s wet dream. Every inhale of air had been thick with smoke and pollution, every alley was masked with a mist.

Her head turned back to Geoff. His knuckles had turned white on the wheel and his eyes remained fixed at the road in front of him. None of this was new to him, and yet the expression on his face had been one she had never seen before. He was angry, he was disappointed. He felt guilty. She saw as much in the glint of his eyes when he looked down an intersection.

She hadn’t seen any cars in the ten minutes it had taken them to enter the town. In fact, she hadn’t seen anyone. She could hear them, the quiet chuckles that rumbled through the ghost town. When they turned down the street, she used to live on, she had been surprised to see her home was untouched. The houses on the next block had been torn down and replaced.

“This place has really changed.” She commented whilst Geoff pulled into his driveway. Her eyes roamed across his home, the paint had chipped, the walls were filthy, and the glass had been covered in newspaper. This was no longer a home, more of an abandoned building. “What happened to your house?”

“There’s so much to explain, but right now Michael needs our help – your help” Geoff responded. It was strange to watch him fiddle with the key in his lock, even more when she heard the harsh cock of a gun. “Whoa, whoa. It’s me. Geoff” He shouted.

“Geoff, you bloody idiot. I could have blown you head off” Gavin’s voice hadn’t changed in the years she’d been gone. Nor had he grown any further than she remembered the last time they’d met. Yet he still towered over her, the only one who hadn’t had been Jeremy.

“Yeah, well would that have been so bad. Anyway, Gav I brought someone” Geoff said. He opened the door wider allowing her entrance before him. She noted the way Geoff’s eyes traversed the surrounding street almost as though he was waiting to see who was watching.

“Hey Gavin, long time no see” She mumbled when she saw the man. His gun fell to the ground in a harsh clatter of unsafe metal and hard wood. She never heard the safety click back on the gun and for a second she thought it would misfire. “The safety Gavin” She shouted.

“Don’t worry. They have ID chips. Don’t shoot unless you touch them” He laughed wrapping his arms around her. He’d grown a little stronger in the time she’d been away, judging by the way he was currently squeezing her insides. “Did Geoff tell you. My boi isn’t Michael anymore”

“What?” She queried. The sudden information hit her like a freight train. The words sinking in slowly. Michael wasn’t Michael anymore. No, she shook her head desperate for more information.

“Gee, Gav let her settle back first.” Geoff remarked, an icy tone in his sentence. “A word in the kitchen, Gavin. Erm…you can put your things in the spare room. You remember where it is. Upstairs”

“First on the right” She finished his sentence as he disappeared with Gavin, who had since then abandoned the hug and retrieved his weapon. She inhaled deeply, her eyes travelling around the run-down home. The inside, much like outside, had been sparsely decorated. The wallpaper had faded significantly and from the crack in the door leading to the living room, the walls had been scribbled on.

Geoff’s home used to be decorated with pictures and achievements. The hallway would be covered in bowling trophies and a few team jerseys. All that remained were the impressions. The silhouettes of frames. The homely feeling had become post-apocalyptic.

The landing was eerily quiet, no gunshots from video games. No laughter, no empty threats and no noise. She felt the blistering wind as it slipped beneath the door. An open window somewhere down the hall had allowed entrance to a sudden heat.

She ignored it, her fingers lightly pushing the spare room door open. She understood; the objects that adorned the walls had been carelessly thrown into the spare room and forgotten. The bed had been cleared, but the dust that had settled on the sheets remained evident.

“Sorry, we tried to clean but Geoff didn’t want to look at everything” Gavin’s voice muttered from behind her. She jumped turning on her heels.

“Gavin what happened after I left?” She inquired. Her bag landed softly beside her as the man gave a brief smile.

“It was fine for a couple years, we settled into life without you as part of the team but…Monarch Labs started up and then the murders. It went to hell. We lost Jeremy first, then Jack and now Michael. All in the space of ten years.” Gavin answered.

“Where are they?” She asked.

“Come with me” Gavin guided her down the steps, he stopped before the living room door, his hand resting on the handle. He looked as though he wanted to say something but prevented himself. Instead he opened the door and ushered her inside.

The first thing that had caught her attention had been the posters. The five wanted posters. Three had been taped over but the last two. They remained distinct. Gavin’s face and Geoff’s occupied both posters.

“You’re wanted. I’m standing with fugitives” She exclaimed.

“We’re no fugitives but we are wanted.” Geoff paused, “When Monarch Labs started up, people started acting weird, so we broke in. The five of us, we found files. Experiments. Then a few months later we raided it. We took some of their technology and since then we’ve been hiding here. They took Jeremy on a food run; Jack went after Jeremy and hasn’t been back. So, we all went after the two. Michael was taken and we weren’t. and I went to get you, you’re the only one who can help”

“Help? How?” She emphasised. “Wait. Wait. You’re hiding here. Everyone knows you and where you live and you’re hiding at home. They could have come for you at any moment, and they let you get on a plane to find me. Does that not ring bells with you?”

“Huh. Bloody hell. Why didn’t we think of that?” Gavin exclaimed.

“You’re a cop, you have more skills than us. Maybe if you took one of us in, let’s say Gavin. You could get to Michael” Geoff protested.

“Wait, why me?” Gavin countered.

“Because you’re an idiot.” Geoff admitted. Gavin shrugged. He couldn’t say fairer than that. “So, are you in?”

“In? I still don’t understand what’s going on. Who are Monarch Labs?” She added.

“Look we don’t have much time. We only have this afternoon” Geoff growled. He was seconds away from tearing his own hair out. He’d transformed into a different man since they were in Chicago

“Why? You had enough time to get me” She spat back.

“Because the CEO isn’t there this afternoon.” He grumbled.


	4. I want to be King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So the words just fell into place.

Words. Since that summer he’d spent every waking moment thinking about the words. He’d continually traverse the terrain in the woods hoping to stumble across the whisper who had promised him everything.

Once he’d found the pattern to the whisper – every summer, the same day, right down to the exact minute. The whisper would appear, and the fire would consume him as he rattled different words. He pleaded for the answer most summers, whenever he was desperate.

“Ryan are you coming to the pool today?” Jack questioned, “You know a certain someone will be there. We all see how close the two of you are” Jack added with a wiggle of his eyebrow. He’d been the first to start growing a beard and the hair that had accumulated around his face had made Ryan laugh the first time he’d seen it.

“I can’t. Bad stomach.” He spoke in short sentences. The teen held his stomach, rubbing at the surface of his t-shirt as if to solidify the lie. Jack held his hands up in a mock ‘_say no more’_ action. “Let her know I’ll see her at dinner. Our families are dining together tonight”

“Ooh fancy, dining. I should start calling you Gavin point 0” Jack chuckled. Ryan watched as he retreated. His legs carrying him further down the street until Ryan could no longer see his silhouette in the distance.

The teen inhaled deeply, his mind rehearsing his words just in case he managed to screw up speaking and ended up saying the wrong words again. Ryan wondered, momentarily, whether the whisper would grow mad eventually and just kill him. Whether the raw power he felt in the presence would dissolve his existence.

“Back again, little king” The whisper made him shiver every time. Not out of fear, but out of pure electricity. It called to him, almost pleasurable. “Do you know the words this time, Little King?”

“I’m not little anymore.” He remarked. He was cautious with how he went about things. The previous years he said what he wanted.

‘_I want her to fall in love with me’ _

_‘I want them dead’_

_‘I want to leave’_

_‘I want it all’_

_‘Just tell me the words damnit’_

This year would be different. He was beginning to think more, he was using his brain and not his heart. The whisper had called him king the first year; and all the years after. It had asked him whether he wanted to be the Vagabond or the little king. It wasn’t an example, it was an offer.

He let his mind cast itself back to that year; he should have stayed. He’d let his heart decide actions and he’d taken her home, but he should have stayed. He could have made her a Vagabond, or he could have made her his queen. He’d run and promised her that night not to return.

He’d lied. He had held her hands in his and looked her dead in the eyes and made a vow he could only break. She was suspicious at first, every year at this time he had abandoned his friends. One year she had followed, along with Geoff behind her, and they’d watched from afar as he entered the woods and returned in tears and anger. He was certain that they had thought he hadn’t noticed but he did. He would always notice her.

“Well Little King?” The voice inquired. “I can see the words in your mind, I can feel them. But I can’t hear them”

“I want to be king” Ryan spat. He chuckled as he went, the whisper following suit in the motion. “I want them to kneel before me and worship the ground I walk on.”

“You’ll turn them against you, if you’re not careful. Little King.” It responded.

“I don’t care” He grumbled. “I’ll make them follow me. Just make me king” Ryan growled.

He knew what he was doing when he said the words. Just as he knew what he was doing the night after, when the gang had learned of her departure from the city. He remained silent after the meal. He kept his distance as the heat burned his back and he felt his anger boiling. She was leaving him. Friends don’t leave each other.

“She’ll still leave” The whisper announced as he fell to sleep that evening. “She’ll leave and the King will be without a queen. You can stop it. It’s not her decision.”

He hadn’t meant to do what he had done that night. It had just happened in a blind fit of insanity. He didn’t feel bad though; not even when she sobbed into his shoulder and he held her until she slept. He just smirked. He watched her sleep as he mulled over the crimson.

The next year she had left; her uncle from out of town had taken guardianship and she had still gone. He distance himself from it all. He worked until he couldn’t. He drew every bit of power from the whisper in the woods until he had made his kingdom.

“Boss, we have Jones” Came a hoarse voice to his left. He squinted briefly, his memory no longer taking up his mind. Ryan sat forward, the metal atop his head sliding in his hair briefly. “We’re still hot on the heels of Ramsey and Free”

“Bring him in, let the other two go. I’m curious what they’ll do.” Ryan uttered.

“Now the Little king has his army.” The whisper droned in the back of his mind. The heat wrapping once more around his shoulders, a soft squeeze that relaxed his tense muscles.


	5. Set-up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really just a filler chapter before things get real.

Monarch. The building practically screamed Villainy, as it loomed over the majority of the city. From each direction they could see the monstrosity, it’s eyes watching every remaining citizen as they went about their daily business.

Her back fell further against the passenger seat; her eyes fixed on every derelict street as they drove past. It wasn’t as though no-one lived in the city anymore – more like no-one left their work or their homes if they could help it.

Geoff had told her little about the events after she’d left for Chicago. He claimed it wasn’t important, that regardless if she had left or stayed, the scenarios would have come to fruition either way. 

“Where’s Ryan? You said Jack, Jeremy and Michael were taken. But you never said where Ryan was?” She questioned. Fear made her cautious of the answer she would receive; her mind couldn’t take another loss so big. Both men acted as though they hadn’t heard her question, and for now she would leave it be. The panic in her heart would grow dull and she would continue with the knowledge that Ryan was alive somewhere happy.

“Oh, the bars open” Gavin all but screamed from the backseat. “Any chance of a drink before you walk me in there to die.” It was a sombre joke that Geoff refused to respond to, in fact he hadn’t responded to any questions since their planning in his home.

“No” Geoff announced, the car turning into an alley a short way from the bar, and a block or two from the tower. With ease he switched the engine off, his hands remaining firmly on the steering wheel.

“Come on Geoff, one drink, you said the CEO is out this afternoon. How punctual do you think he is?” She inquired. Geoff turned to look at her. His eyebrow raised in contemplation; his mouth open in protest before he shook his head in mock defeat.

“One drink,” Geoff sighed. “But I swear to everything holy, if this fucks us, I’ll willingly give you to Monarch”

With a finger slipping through the collar of his shirt Gavin gulped. His eyes widening as the Brit hurried along the street. He disappeared with ease into the bar, dust scattering in the air behind him. She turned to Geoff; a frown crossing her features.

He followed slowly; his hands buried in his pockets as he wandered down the street. He looked less like the man who had met her in Chicago and more like a guilty party. He didn’t bother to cast her a gaze as he stopped outside the faded wooden door. Through the dust covered window he could see Gavin eagerly speaking to the barmaid; a beer nestled in his hand.

“You never told me what Monarch is? You told me they were the bad guys but who are they?” She quizzed. A hand hovering over the man’s shoulder.

“Let’s just go get a drink” He huffed.

\--

Ryan stood in the corner of his office; the dozen screens which illuminated his wall and fed him the information he so craved had been switched off. His seat had been abandoned and long since forgotten. The urge to finish off the last bit of legal paperwork scratched at the back of his neck.

“Are we sure that leaving is the best thing?” He was swimming in warmth when he heard the familiar whisper. Fingers soothing the tension from his shoulders; the man physically felt himself relax. In that second, he’d become acutely aware of how long it had been since he’d fully relaxed.

“We?” He countered. An eyebrow rose whilst the words settled in the air. There had never been a ‘we’ – at least not in his eyes. Sure, this life had been granted to him by the entity and probably be ripped from his arms just as easily. “If it weren’t for me, you’d be fading in and out of existence in the woods.”

“And if it weren’t for me, little king. Your dream would still be a dream.” The whisper quipped; the warmth that had once been calming was slowly turning to a scolding heat. “Leaving is a bad move. There are forces preparing your downfall as we speak.”

“Of course there are, you don’t expect to be king without making a few enemies.” Ryan jested; the title always felt correct on his tongue, as though the word had been preordained for him. He couldn’t help the concern that crept through the caverns of his mind; he’d thought of a billion different counter measures with his success but what if he’d misjudged something. What if the very people he trusted were the wrong ones. “Leave them to me, no-one who can harm me, knows I’m leaving. Unless you’re about to harm me?” Ryan added.

He felt the warmth gather itself back up, the soothing fingers deserted him allowing his muscles to tense once more. It appeared as though he’d touched a nerve with the entity, or perhaps he’d planted the idea in its wise old mind. Ryan shook his head, the paranoia filling his brain did little to calm any sudden nerves. He was leaving – leaving to expand his business, to reach further than he could.

“Move forward with caution, Little King, you can’t know for certain what lies outside these doors. You have one weakness, and should she find out-“ It began, it’s words writhing around in Ryan’s ears. He snarled as his fingers curled into his palms. He couldn’t hurt the thing, but he could put it back where it came from.

“You don’t know her, and I have everything in control, if you’ll excuse me. I have a plane to catch.” He growled. It did this at times. It would spout information about her to cause a reaction. It received its kicks out of testing Ryan’s dwindling patience. At times it would rattle on about what would happen if Ryan had chose the alternate path. If he’d become the Vagabond. In those moments, the man would retire into the recesses of his mind as he let his pen glide over the paperwork.


	6. Enter the Monarch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so enters the King himself

“I said one drink” Geoff scowled as they approached the entrance; he’d been grumbling since they’d left the bar carrying Gavin between them. The drunken Brit had shortly pass out after his sixth shot, he’d been claiming it calmed his nerves as Geoff scampered off to the bathroom. By the time the elder man had returned Gavin had been blackout drunk. “I should’ve just driven here. I should have said no and stopped him.”

“Would you calm down? Luckily both of you are fugitives and, lets face it. It’ll go down smoother with us two. Just follow my lead and don’t act suspicious. Now give me the gun” She muttered as she grabbed Geoff’s elbow. He made a harsh yelp in pain as he placed Gavin’s gun in her hands. She didn’t miss the way guilt flickered across his face as he eyeballed the skyscraper. Or the way his body visibly tensed as his eyes landed on the receptionist.

The interior of the building had been more than she expected; she’d pictured the bright white walls, and overly clean floors. She had imagined men and women walking around in white lab coats holding tablets as soldiers stood at each door. She hadn’t expected what she had been met with.

“Here goes nothing” Geoff grumbled as he lifted his cuffed hands to push the door open. She peered in at the almost empty foyer. The colour palette of the room had been a bizarre mixture of pure white, black and a dull dark grey. The sofa’s that aligned one wall remained largely vacant. One slightly trembling woman sat reading a magazine as she eyeballed the guards by the elevator. Two rather large men, with steeled features and guns pointed towards the ground, remained the only obstacle between them and the rest of the lab.

It had only been a second – not even a second – as she glanced to the ground beneath her feet. She caught her silhouette reflecting in the floor. She spotted Geoff who remained nonchalantly angry at the scenario. It shouldn’t have been him, it should have been Gavin.

“What do we have here?” she almost collapsed at the mere sound of his voice; even in age it hadn’t changed much since they were kids. The same soft lisp that came with certain syllables. Geoff briefly looked at her; this time she had missed it. She missed the way his eyes widened and he felt the fear course through his system. Fear that he had failed his friends. “I must say, I am very happy I cancelled my meetings. I’d have missed this, Who do I owe my gratitude and money to for bringing him in-“

The man ceased speaking, visibly startled by her presence; just as she had been his. His eyes ran across her body and for the first time in a long time she felt self conscious. As though the acid washed black jeans and old black t-shirt were a disgrace inside Monarch. She could feel everyone’s eyes shifting to her form and the weight almost crushed her.

“Ryan?” She croaked. The man’s appearance had changed completely, he was no longer the boyish nerd who spouted star trek facts and PC terms. Ryan now sported a well trimmed stubble beard, she’d only ever seen him clean shaven. Large dark rings clung to the bottom of his eyes, a visible reminder of just how exhausted he was.

“Who?” He inquired, with his brows knitted together he snapped his fingers towards the guards. The shock that had once consumed his body, had all but disappeared. “Anything to say Geoff, no witty one-liner. No grumble at your captor. Let me tell you this has been a feat. First you steal from my company, with some outrageous idea that we’re the bad guys. I mean, come on. We were once friends”

“We were until you went batshit crazy” Geoff roared; the two men glared at each other. Ryan chuckled; it was different. The sound that reverberated off each wall and rested in her ears, wasn’t the chuckle that used to infect people and cause an outbreak of smiles. It wasn’t the same smirk that fell in line behind the sound. This was wrong.

“We’ll take it from here, I’d ask your name but unless you’re going to deliver Gavin, and he shouldn’t be hard to find on account of his” Ryan paused, his fingers surrounding his nose before pulling away from his face. The man’s eyes widened and his cheek’s puffed out to emphasise his point. She winced. “Thank you for giving us the mastermind.”

Two men grabbed a hold of Geoff, she hardly wanted to let go. She had to; otherwise all of his hard work in preparing for this would go to waste. If she were to be captured it would leave a hungover Gavin with no idea on what to do next. So, she released Ramsey. She let her friend be pulled towards the elevator, his hands balled into fists and a scowl etched across his features. She remained still as she spotted Ryan through her peripheral vision. He’d set about whatever other business had brought him to the lobby. His back towards her. She wanted to punch him and she wanted to hug him. She wanted him to remind her that it would all be ok, like he used to. She wanted to punish him for not staying in contact. Her best friend had abandoned her after she had left. He’d done to her what she had done to him.

“If you leave your name and address with the receptionist we’ll get your reward money sent to you.” Ryan instructed her. He turned his left to the side pointing towards the pad, placed on the counter by a rather terrified looking young lady. 

She held her breath as she stood beside him at the counter. Her fingers holding the pen unsteadily as she stared at the paper. She was petrified; she had no idea who was stood beside her. The man was insane, to treat a friend how he had. He sighed.

“You forget your name?” He speculated. She shook her head, clearing her throat as she began to write. She knew he was watching. His own pen – mid signature – had stilled and his feet shifted on the harsh marble floor.

“Don’t hurt him,” She whispered, “I don’t understand what’s going on but please. Don’t hurt him” She finished with a quick smile flashing over her features. By the time she had reached a safe distance from the building her lungs were burning. She hadn’t released the breath she’d been holding and as oxygen clawed its way down her throat she attempted to calm her anxiety.

_“Ryan” _she had said that clearly. She had called his name because it was him. Slightly older, more defined but it was her best friend and yet he had barely flinched at the syllables. As though he hadn’t heard his name in years. She casted one last look towards the looming building; the officer within her wanted to march straight back in. She wanted to flash her badge and demand him to release Geoff.


	7. And exit the Sane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing is as it seems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realise that I'm making the story more complex as it goes, and most of this I'd started a while back and just sort of rolled back to it. So as confused as you are, I am just as confused, and doubting my ability as an author currently.

Ryan remained seated behind his desk; his eyes fixed on the employee and his chin resting between his thumb and fingers. Every so often the employee would shift in his own seat, a harsh swallow of saliva indicating his nerves as he awaited the comments from his boss.

A soft smile flickered across his features as he settled on the train of questions conspiring inside his mind. Since their meeting he could only think about her. She hadn’t aged a day since they were kids, the same kind eyes that drew him into a sense of safety and the same voice that cried and laughed and whispered to him. Perhaps it was right, perhaps she was his weakness.

Ryan cleared his throat, his hand dropping his chin as he grinned.

“[Name] is back. You did as I asked and my word is my word. You can take one, the others remain with me. The next time I call you, and you do as I ask. You can have another. Who did you tell her you were getting? Michael? Jeremy? Or maybe Jack? But then taking Jack would put you in a predicament.” Ryan inquired.

“Michael” Geoff croaked. Ryan could see the damage the lying was doing to him. It was written all over the tired man’s features but he had chosen this path. He could’ve said no ,the second time, when Ryan had surprised him at his home. The same question had been posed, this time with less fervour. He’d persuaded the man to lie to them all, and in return Geoff would see their friend’s safely returned. With a few little tweaks to their mental states.

“This could have been so much easier. You could’ve all said yes when I came to you. You could’ve had whatever you wanted. Now you have nothing. Our friends, minus two, are under my control. Your homes, the people all work for me.” Ryan dictated. “All I need is her though, she’s crucial to retaining my success and as long as you follow your role. I might be able to convince her. Before you leave, the guard will give you a phone. One number, mine. If it rings, answer it” He finished. Flicking his hands he motioned for the man to leave. Michael would be waiting outside the room. Bruises covering the best half of his body. Maybe a few cuts and torn clothing. This had to be believable. Like Michael had escaped with Geoff.

“Got it” Ramsey uttered. “R- Mad King, if she figures everything out. It’ll break her heart” Geoff lamented. He’d seen too many of his friends injured in Ryan’s tyranny. He watched as Jeremy had been beaten in front his eyes, he’d stood helpless as Jack had been broken until he had succumbed to Ryan’s orders. He couldn’t watch her break.

“I’m not going to hurt her. I want to work with her, I can’t do that if her hearts broken. Now go. I’ll be in touch. Oh and Geoff. Don’t resist too much. Some of the men working for me have short fuses.” Ryan chuckled. A frown appeared on the older man’s features as he wondered to the exit. It was as he opened the door her understood. He grumbled under his breath but Ryan was certain it had been some form of threat. He’d let it slide this once.

“A well hidden development, Little King.” The warmth clouded his office, coating every surface in an invisible magma. Ryan rotated his neck, his fingers dancing across the top of his wooden desk. “And just how do you see this plan helping us?”

“Helping me” He corrected. “You’re scared she’s my weakness. So let’s turn her into my strength.”

Ryan watched as the shadows danced in his office; the dark space thickening until he was sure he could see a silhouette. His jaw tightened as he eyed the creature; a few times the entity had shown itself to him. Very rarely had it been more than a shadow figure, and when it hadn’t been – he was certain he was looking at himself.

“That’s if she doesn’t figure you’re plan out, Little King. Can you really trust him, when you’re so close to achieving it all?” It queried.

“No, but I trust his loyalty to his friends. Geoff will do anything to get them out of harms way. It’s in his nature.” Ryan growled.

\--

“Are you kidding me?!” She screamed as a she threw the drunken man into the wall. Shortly after her encounter with Ryan she had driven back to Geoff’s. Not a word had been said as she seethed with anger; Gavin had been sure to keep his stupidity quiet in an attempt to not poke the bear. “The CEO of Monarch is Ryan”

“Geoff said I couldn’t tell you” Gavin retorted, dropping to his knees before crawling further away from her. With as much effort as he could muster, he pushed himself to his feet, legs buckling slightly from the alcohol still within his system. “You would never have agreed if we told you. You would have just walked away”

“Of course I would have walked away. You stole from Ryan’s business. No wonder you’re wanted, I’m a police officer, do you know what this could do to my job if they found out back home. I worked with fugitives.” She yelled.

“if you would just let me explain” Gavin exclaimed, he stood in mock surrender as he waited for her response.

“Five minutes and if I don’t agree with you, then I’ll march you down to Monarch and going home.” She spat. She watched as the man nodded, pulling his body into the closest chair. inhaling deeply her eyes glanced once more around the living room.

The memory of when she had told them all she was leaving had been in here. Though the wallpaper had felt more homely and less decrepit. 

_“My uncle is taking me to Chicago. He got me into college there, thinks it’ll be better. Uncle Tim thinks if I’m away from here the nightmares might stop. Plus it’s not as hot, or so he says there. Less things to spark the memories.” The words had hung in the air. None of the boys dared to move as though the words held knives to each of them. _

_“I’m sorry to see you go Kid” Geoff had mentioned first, his form lifting from the floor. He approached her first, arms wrapping around her shoulders as he held her close to him. He’d always been an older brother to her, just as Jack was. As they sat there she felt the tears slide down her cheeks, they settled in the fabric of Geoff’s shirt as she patted her back pulling away slowly. _

_“I’m going to...get a tissue” She whispered. She knew this was going to be hard. She’d spent the entire night preparing herself for the goodbyes. They watched as she exited the room, her feet dragging slightly as she headed towards the kitchen. _

_She scanned the room for the last time, her eyes searching the room for some tissue. It rested against the bread bin as she approached it. Her shaking digits reaching for it. Just as she pulling a piece free she heard a heavy thump. Her body jumping as she headed back to the living room. She was certain she would see them all sat around laughing at whoever had fallen over. _

_Instead she had found the majority of the stood. Each face held a mixture of confusion and outrage, none as much as Geoff. Whose hand rested on Jack’s shoulder. She searched for Ryan, hoping that the man would have the answers and his usual comforting smile. _

_“That was weird” Jeremy remarked as an attempt to ease the tension. _


	8. Mogar?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welp

Silence. Uncontrollable and intangible. They sat within the bubble of silence as the seconds continued to tick by. Neither quite able to form a sentence. Gavin had been set on the task of explaining and his half buzzed brain struggled to collect the words in the correct order.

“Geoff is a lot better with explaining.” Gavin mused, “He knows everything. I just do what he wants”

“Yeah, he wanted you to go into Monarch to get Michael and instead you got drunk.” Her retort had been enough to sober the man. His guilt burned the sides of his stomach as he slouched further into his seat. A few times she had heard a vehicle pass by the house; Gavin had tensed at each second and she had in turn hoped to see Geoff walking through the door. Not that he deserved to.

“It’s a bit of Dutch courage” He responded in defence. He reminded her of a teenager being caught with drugs. She’d seen the same unintentional smart ass remark given a dozen times in the interview rooms at the Chicago Police Department.

“Dutch courage is supposed to be one drink, not three bottles and a keg” she commented. The silence fell once more, the younger man did his best to keep his eyes away from her, he’d busied himself with a speck of clean carpet in the corner of the room. “I’m waiting. It’s been an hour”

“well what do you want to know?” Gavin queried. The syllables had fallen from his mouth as a whine. As though he’d just been asked to go murder a cow instead of playing a video game. Another car drove by, the lights flooding through the newspaper covered windows. 

“Lets start with the theft. What did you steal from Ryan that has him so hellbent on you apprehension that he hired his own private militia.” She inquired.

“Which time?” Gavin snickered.

“You stole from him more than once” She cried out to which Gavin just nodded. “Ok, well the time that caused the armed guards”

“I don’t know” He sighed, Her brow rose at his comment, his eyes drawing over to her. “I don’t. It was after Jeremy was taken, I was the getaway driver, Geoff, Michael and Jack went in, only Michael and Geoff came out. They went in empty handed, and Michael came out with a bag full of those. Geoff just kept looking at his phone” Gavin defended himself; he pointed towards the guns half concealed by a sheet. One had been dismantled, the parts scattered on a table in the corner.

“I sent Michael to get Jeremy, when he couldn’t find him. He grabbed the weapons. Ryan grabbed Jack whilst we were searching the labs.” Geoff’s laboured response came from behind the two of them. The older man held Michael, half conscious at his side. Both men bloodied and bruised, Michael looked almost on the verge of death as Geoff stumbled further into the room.

“My boi” Gavin all but yelled as he rushed off the chair. His head sliding under Michael’s arm as Geoff handed him off to Gavin. The elder of the three held his hand to his ribs, as he limped into the room.

In the dim lighting she could see the blood seeping from the large cut at the top of his head, the crimson growing darker in colour as it dried and crusted against his skin. He collapsed onto the sofa as he watched her, one eye swollen shut and the other searching her features.

He wondered if she knew. He wondered if Gavin had fessed up to everything, if he had prattle on about the robberies, about what Ryan had done when they were young. Then again, Jack and Geoff where the only two that knew.

“Gavin, put Michael in the spare room, and grab me some towels and a bowl of water. We need to clean Geoff up.” She sparked into action, her eyes assessing both injured men. From what she could see, Michael’s wounds had begun to heal. In a second she had made her mind up on who needed more attention. “What happened?”

“I found Michael, we ran into some trouble. It’s fine” Geoff lied. After he had left Ryan’s office, he’d seen Michael half conscious against the wall. He started to walk forward before the fists had flown through the air. After a few rounds in what felt like a ring he’d been looked over by a medical professional before being thrown to the street with Michael. He’d stumbled through the back alleys with Michael.

“I asked him not to-“ She began as she placed her fingers gently against the edge of his cut. He hissed in response.

“It’s fine, it doesn’t matter now. What matters is that we got Michael back. And...I did speak to him before we escaped” Geoff announced. In haste to get back, Gavin had flicked the light switch. The bulb hurtling light around the room, illuminating every bruise, cut and bump that attached itself to Geoff’s features.

Guilt tore through her. Her earlier thoughts about storming back into the building and waving her badge around had stabbed her in the gut. She dropped her gaze from Geoff pulling a towel from Gavin. The fabric dipped cautiously in the liquid before hesitantly being placed on the wound. Geoff smiled before moving his own hand to the towel. He took over from her.

“You should check on Michael. I think they drugged him. I have to talk with Gavin” Geoff continued. She nodded, “don’t beat yourself up. I can take it, Gavin however. I’m not so sure. I’m glad it was me”

\--

Michael had been haphazardly dropped onto the bed, his legs hanging off the end as he slipped back and forth between reality and his own mind. Every so often he would attempt to get up but she would gently coerce him back into the mattress.

She sat patiently against the wall, her eyes roaming over the healed scars, his hair had grown considerably longer and curlier than she remembered. This broken man, was no longer the same lad she remembered. She could practically here him, Jeremy and Gavin plotting their mischief and arguing over menial things. 

With the quiet as her sounding board she attempted to understand the information given to her today. Everything seemed so confusing. Her friends were no longer the family they once were. Five of them had become criminals and the other one barely recognised his own name...barely recognised her.

“I should never have come back here. I don’t know what is going on Michael, I doubt you can hear this, but everything was easier in Chicago. Uncle Tim was right. The nightmares went, I focused on something other than the murder of my parents. Then Geoff turned up, he begged for help and I should’ve told him to go to the police or something. My best friend doesn’t remember me, not surprising though. You’ve been drugged, Geoff’s been beaten, Jack and Jeremy are god knows where and to top it off technically I’m helping criminals.” Her words were little more than a whisper in the room.

Michael inhaled sharply, a hiss of pain being released as he shifted uncomfortably. She leaned forwards in case he stirred. Once he settled she returned to her previous position. The man turned his arm in his movements. She almost missed the letters engraved into the surface of his bicep. Specks of dried blood encircled each line as though someone had written the word with a knife recently.

“Mogar” she mouthed. She watched as Michael’s body jerked, as though responding to the whispered syllables. “Michael?” She announced. When he relaxed she frowned, her head shaking the questions forming in her brain from continuing. “You know, there was one thing I missed in Chicago. You guys. Ryan, mainly. I grew up with him. My best friend and when I graduated from training I was hoping he’d be there. I sent an invite but I guess I sent it to his old address. It sucked. I celebrated alone. Tim died, the big C claimed him in the end, I tell you what the strength he had to continue was crazy. He had the same temper as you, I remember when his favourite team lost a game. I’d never seen someone remind me of you more” She smiled.

“[name], how’s he doing?” Geoff’s voice called from the doorway. He was still holding his ribs as he entered the room. From the way he winced as he slid down the wall and sat beside her, his rib was most definitely more than just bruised.

“Still out of it. I don’t get it. Why did he do this?” She asked. They watched Michael in silence for a few minutes. The question left unanswered.

“Ryan asked me about you. My captor. I guess he doesn’t remember you. I’m sorry. I know how close you both were” Geoff conceded.


End file.
